Never really over
by SwarklesFan55
Summary: Ted's finally told his story. But afterwards, his kids tell him something, he didn't expect, and it changes everything. The finale scene changed and what happens next. Swarkles!
1. Chapter 1

2030 (Wednesday)

"And that, kids, is how I met your mother", Ted Mosby finished his story.

"Thank GOD! It's finally over", Penny shouted and stretched out her limbs.  
"I think, I dozed off for a while", her brother Luke replied.  
"Seriously, Dad. You've been talking for five hours", Penny said.

"Hey, I told you this story, so you would feel closer to your mother. You were both so young, when she died."  
"Yeah, and that was a nice idea, but Mom was hardly in the story", Penny commented.  
"I thought, the story of Aunt Robin and Uncle Barney was much more interesting, anyway", said Luke.

They hadn't known much about the history of these two. They were just told that they got married, and a few years later divorced, because it didn't work out. Nobody ever told them, what really happened.

"Yes, they've really been through a lot together. It's so sad, they got divorced", Penny agreed with her brother.  
"I liked, how he got her a job, so she wouldn't have to move back to Canada."  
"Or 'The Robin'! That was so romantic!", Penny gushed.

"It sounds, like they were perfect for each other", Luke thought out loud.  
"Yeah, really. Don't you think so, too, Dad?", asked Penny.  
Their father was suddenly so quiet.

"Well, actually, there's a reason, I told you this story today", he began carefully. "As you now know, there was a time, when I was with Aunt Robin, as well. I was thinking about asking her out again and I just wanted to know, that you'd be okay with it."

"WHAT?", Penny asked in horror. "NO!"  
"We're so NOT okay with it", said Luke.

"But the other day, you told me, you'd be okay with it, if I wanted to date again. After all, it's been six years, since your mother passed away." Ted was shocked about the unexpected reaction from his kids.

"But not Aunt Robin", said Penny.  
"I thought, you liked her", said Ted.  
"We love her. But you can't date her", said Luke.  
"Why not?", Ted asked and sounded like a whining child.

"She is Uncle Barney's ex-wife", said Penny. "You can't ask her out, without at least talking to him beforehand."  
"They've been divorced for fourteen years. Why should he have an objection to that?", Ted asked.

"Maybe, he still has feelings for her", Luke answered quietly and Penny thrust her elbow into his ribcage.  
"Can't you keep anything to yourself?", she hissed at her younger brother.

"Keep what? What are you talking about?", Ted asked, curious.  
"We should tell him", Luke said to Penny.  
"Shush, will you!"  
"He will understand, once we tell him."  
"He'll be devasted!"  
"Not as much, as he will be, when Aunt Robin rejects him."

"Hey!", Ted shouted loudly, to finally be heard over his kids' squabbling.  
They looked at him startled, seemingly having forgotten about him, sitting in front of them and hearing every word.  
"Just tell me", Ted said and Penny sighed, giving in.

"Okay, Dad. You remember last weekend, Ellies birthday?", she asked and her father nodded.  
"Well, you see... I witnessed something there..."


	2. Chapter 2

4 days prior (Saturday)

The whole gang, including their kids, were gathered together in Ted's house in Westchester that afternoon. It was Ellie's tenth birthday and they celebrated the day with a barbeque. Robin was the last one to arrive, coming straight from work.

Since Ted and Tracy's wedding in 2020, she stayed in contact with her friend, rented a small apartment in the city and accepted less assignments, that she would need to travel for. She had a good relation to all the kids of her friends. Especially to Ellie, with her being the youngest and knowing her almost from birth on.

When Tracy died in 2024, she was there for Ted, just like the others and finally asked to be based in New York constantly.  
By now, she was the vice president of the WWN station in New York and would be promoted to president, as soon as Sandy Rivers retired in a few years.

Barney was currently standing on the grill and watched his daughter unwrap the present, Robin gave her.  
It was a thousand-piece puzzle, showing the most famous sights of the world, most of which Robin had already been to.  
Among others it showed the Taj Mahal in India, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the 'Great Sphinx of Gizeh'.

Doing puzzles was one of Ellie's favorite hobbies, these days, and she sceamed from joy and stood to give her favorite aunt a tight hug.  
She just couldn't wait to come home, ripped the box open and started to do the puzzle on Ted's couch table.  
A few pieces fell to the floor an Robin bent down to pick them up.

Barney gulped, as he watched her.  
Robin was almost fifty years old, but in his opinion, she just got more beautiful with time.  
In his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman on this planet and still as hot as the first time, he saw her.  
He couldn't help, but stare at his ex-wife's butt, as she picked up the puzzle pieces.

Suddenly, there was a searing pain in his left hand, and as he looked down, he realized he'd laid his hand on the grill.  
"Aaaaaaaaah!", he screamed and pulled his hand up in the air.  
Everybody's attention was promptly turned on him. He clutched his left wrist with his right hand and bit his teeth tightly together to not scream again, as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Barney!"  
"Oh my god!"  
"What happened?", everybody was talking and shouting at once, while running to him.

Robin reached him first, grabbed his wrist and examinated his hand. Blisters were already starting to form.  
"Ted, do you have burn ointment?", she asked in a slightly panicked voice.  
"Bathroom, the first aid kit under the sink", Ted responded.  
"I've got this", Robin said and dragged Barney behind her up the stairs into the master bathroom.

"What's happening with Daddy now? Is he okay?", Ellie asked.  
"He burned his hand, Sweetie", Lily explained to her. "But don't worry. Aunt Robin's gonna fix this."

Everybody was shocked and excited about what happend, so the adults tried to calm them down.  
Afterwards Ted took Penny aside and gave her a tube of ointment.

"Can you bring this up to Aunt Robin? The one in the bathroom is almost used up."  
"Sure", Penny said, happy to help, took the tube and climbed up the stairs.

In the meantime, Robin had held Barney's hand under tepid water, dabbed with a fluffy towel at it and spread it with the rest of the ointment. It was tight, but enough. She wrapped it up with a bandage and was now washing the ointment off her hands, while Barney was sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"Better?", she asked him.  
"Much. Thank you", Barney answered and smiled gratefully at her.  
Robin returnd his smile, turned off the faucet and grabbed a nearby guest towel.  
"How did this even happen?", she asked, while drying her hands on it.

Barney looked away and answered mumbling: "I... got distracted." Robin laughed.  
"If you're like this at home, I hope Ellie is cooking."  
"Actually", Barney said. "Ellie never comes near the stove. When she was younger, I told her, it was haunted and she still believes it."  
"I can't believe this, Barney. You've been lying to your daughter for years?", Robin asked.  
"Only to protect her!", Barney defended his actions. Robin shook her head, but couldn't help the smile on her lips.

"You know, someday, she'll have to learn how to cook", Robin said.  
"And when the time comes, I will teach her", he answered.  
"You will teach her? You can barely cook yourself", Robin laughed.  
"Said the woman, who can't even make scambled eggs", Barney retorted.

"Okay, you've got me", Robin surrendered. "I can't cook, either. That's never bothered you before."  
"Cause everybody has their flaws", Barney said. "So cooking is not your strong suit, who cares? You have other qualities."  
"Like what?", Robin asked and grinned expectantly.

"Eeehm", Barney pondered for a few seconds. "Like, you know, I always loved your independence."  
"Oh, yes", said Robin. "I remember that night you woke me up, because you heard something and wanted me to check the front door."  
They laughed.

"And do you remember the time, I had the flu?", Barney asked, while Standing up from the bathtub.  
"Don't remind me. You were so whiny and just annoying", Robin said.  
"You took care of me, though."  
"Well, I couldn't let you die", Robin laughed.  
"I always loved, how you took care of me", Barney said and Robin smiled touched.

In that moment, Penny arrived at the bathroom door and opened her mouth to speak up.  
But the words got stuck in her throat, when Barney stepped forward, pulled Robin to him and kissed her.

She didn't react at first, was frozen in shock. But after a few seconds, she laid her arms around Barneys neck and responded to the kiss passionately. Barney snuck one arm around her waist and pressed her with his body against the wall. Penny stared speechless, as they kissed each other as if their lives depended on it, until suddenly, after a few moments, Robin pushed Barney away and stepped aside.

Penny rushed behind the bathroom door, to not be seen by the former couple.

Robin clapped a hand over her mouth and began to frantically shake her head, shocked about what just happened, while Barney swiped a hand over his face.  
"No", Robin murmured. "No, no, no." As if the word could undo the last five minutes.  
"Robin", Barney said and took a step closer to her.

"Don't touch me", Robin said and backed away from him, fearing she might lose control if he came closer.  
"Calm down, please. Let's talk about this", he proposed.  
"There's nothing to talk about, Barney! It was nothing. Just an old reflex", she dismissed the situation quickly.  
"It's more than that and you know it", Barney retorted.

"I don't know anything, so stop saying something like that."  
"Robin, I... I still love you", Barney said.

Penny's mouth fell open.

"No!", Robin shouted angrily, while her eyes filled with tears. "Leave me alone", she hissed at him and stormed out of the door.  
Penny looked after her, heard Barney groan and couldn't quite understand, what she had just witnessed.  
She slowly eased her way out from behind the door and down the stairs.

She didn't have to worry about Barney seeing her. He had sunk down on the egde of the bathtub, laid his head into his hands and tried his hardest to hold in the tears, that were threatening to burst out.

When he came back down a few minutes later, Robin was already gone, having made the excuse of a work emergency.  
Nobody had heard from her since then.

Ted was speechless and couldn't believe, that he had missed all of this.  
 _Had Robin been upset, when she left? Did Barney seem sad, when he came back from the bathroom?_  
He couldn't remember.

Luke and Penny looked at their father and thought, he now understood, why he couldn't just ask Robin out.  
They were wrong.

"Well, that's bad for Barney. But just because, she rejected him, doesn't mean, I can't ask her on a date", he said.  
"Dad!", Penny said. "You can't do that."  
"She's his ex-wife and he still loves her", Luke supported his sister.

"She was my ex first, and I let him marry her", Ted argued.  
"How can you... be so heartless?", Penny asked.  
Ted exploded and leaped out of his chair.

"Don't you talk to me like that, young lady. I'm your father!", he screamed.

For a few seconds, only the ticking of the clock on the wall could be heard. Then Luke spoke up and stunned his father into silence.  
"Mom would have understood."

Ted didn't expect something like this. Especially not from Luke, who had been so young, when Tracy passed away.  
Penny and Luke stood from the couch and quietly went upstairs into their rooms.


	3. Chapter 3

The mood was tense in the Mosby household, the next morning.  
The daily routine was carried out, but the usually cheerful atmosphere was missing.

When Penny and Luke came down into the kitchen at 7am, the breakfast table was laid like on any other day.  
But instead of making plans and talking about the day ahead, the little family ate in heavy silence.  
Afterwards, the kids brushed their teeth, put their lunch into their bags and followed their father to the car.

Ted drove them to school and finally talked, when Luke and Penny were about to exit the car.  
"Please, come straight home after school. We'll go to see Uncle Barney." 

Barney stepped through his apartment door after a long day at work and groaned, when he saw the pens and folders spread over the couch table. He could hear music coming from the door to Ellie's room.

"Ellie?", he shouted, but she didn't seem to hear him.  
"ELLIE!", he repeated, louder this time, and the volume of the music was turned down. Ellie came out of her room.  
"Hi, Dad", she greeted her father.

"Why is your school stuff lying in the living room, again?", he asked her accusingly.  
Ellie sighed annoyed and reluctanty started to pack up her stuff.  
"Why did I buy such a beautiful writing table for your room, if you continue to do your homework in the living room?", he asked.

"The living room is so much cozier", Ellie replied.  
"'cause there's a TV in it, right?", Barney asked, to which Ellie said nothing.  
She silently brought her pencil case and books into her room, her father following her, and let everything fall onto her already full to overflowing writing table.

"You know, it disturbs your concentration to watch TV, while doing your school work", he said, trying to sound strict.  
"The worst grade, I ever got was a C+", she told him irritated.  
"And we want things to stay this way, right?", he said and kissed her head lovingly, before letting his gaze wander over her room.

The walls of Ellie's room were painted in a light violet. A pink bordure with flowers ran around the room near the ceiling. Her furniture consisted of a white queen-size bed, a matching three-door wardrobe and the already mentioned writing table.  
She also had a glass cabinet filled with knick-knacks and a dresser for personal things.

A fluffy, purple-colored carpet lay on the light wooden floor, with her newest puzzle on a flat wooden board on top of it.  
Barney looked around in his daughter's messy room and couldn't understand, how he could have raised such a chaotic kid.

"Maybe, it would be nice, if you tidied up in here", Barney suggested.  
"Why?", Ellie replied. "It's my room and it'll look just the same way in a few days."  
"We'll have visitors in half an hour", he explained.

"Who?", Ellie asked interested.  
"Uncle Ted's coming by", Barney said and Ellie lost interest and wordlessly sat back down on the carpet.  
Barney thought for a moment, sighed and added: "He's bringing Penny and Luke, too."

Ellie leaped to her feet immediately and started sorting things on her table, which Barney knew had nothing to do with Penny.

When Barney realized, Ellie had a crush on Luke half a year ago, he was NOT happy about it.  
In his opinion, she was much too young to take an interest in boys.  
He had wanted her to stay his little girl for quite a while longer.

But some time ago, after crying on the gang's shoulders (figurative, except for that one conversation with Lily) he realized, that the situation could be worse. He accepted, that Ellie had to grow up someday. He couldn't change that. What he could do, was to take care of her and be there for her.

At least it was Luke, whose father he was friends with.  
 _Better the devil you know than the devil you don't._

And Luke didn't seem to have noticed Ellie's affection for him.  
Which was quite alright with Barney. As far as he was concerned, Luke never had to know.  
Barney didn't want him to get funny ideas and take advantage of his daughter's crush on him.

He left Ellie's room and started tidying the living room and kitchen.  
It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door.  
Barney turned to the door, but already Ellie came running from her room and shouted: "I'll get it!"

"Hello, Penny. Hello, Uncle Ted", she greeted Pennny and Ted casually, after opening the door.  
When she turned to Luke her smile widened: "Hi, Luke", she said, while twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

They responded to her greeting and came in.  
"I'm almost done with my new puzzle already. You wanna see it?", Ellie asked Penny and Luke.  
"Yeah, sure", Penny said.  
"Okay", answered Luke.  
"Okay", Ellie repeated grinning and lead them to her room.

"She still has that crush on him?", Ted asked amused, when the door closed behind them.  
Barney nodded and replied: "And it seems that he still hasn't noticed."  
"Maybe, we should tell him", Ted pondered.

"Are you crazy?", Barney asked. "The longer it takes, the better it is. He'll realize it soon enough."  
"I don't know", Ted said and looked at Barney earnestly. "Sometimes we need help to see the most obvious things."  
"You're talking in riddles again", Barney said. "I don't think, I want to know what this is about."

Ted let his eyes wander around the room.  
He visited all the time, but now that he knew about the story with Robin, he noticed a lot of things he didn't before.  
Barney's refrigerator for example.  
He saw maths tests, school reports and paintings from Ellie. And in between were cut-out newspaper articles. All of them concerned the famous journalist Robin Scherbatsky and the adventures she experienced.  
Ted also saw postcards. A lot of them.

Robin wrote many postcards to all her friends, when she was away.  
Ted thought that he kept maybe two or three especially pretty ones.  
Barney seemed to have kept them all.

Another thing he now noticed was the black jewelry box on the dresser in his living room.  
Ted knew, it contained Robin's engagement ring and both their wedding bands, that he just couldn't get rid of.

Barney grabbed a pile of mail from the kitchen island and leafed through it.  
"So, what's up, Theodore?", he asked.  
"I wanted to talk to you about something", Ted started.  
"Mmh-mhm", Barney mumbled.  
"It's about Robin", Ted said.

"Robin? What about her?", Barney asked decidedly calm and dismissive.  
He had always been a great actor as far as his feelings were concerned and if it wasn't for the slight pause he made while shuffling through the letters in his hands, Ted wouldn't have believed him.

"So, yesterday, I told Penny and Luke the story of how I met Tracy", Ted said.  
"What's Robin got to do with that?", Barney asked confused.  
"My story started the day we met Robin", he explained.

"What?", Barney asked. "That was, like, what? Nine years before Tracy?"  
"7 years and 8 months", Ted corrected.  
"Why did you start this early?"

"So they'd understand all the connections", he answered. "After breaking up with Robin I got the tramp stamp, which brought me to Stella, who brought me to Tony, who got me the job at Columbia. If one of those things didn't happen, I never would have met Cindy and Tracy's band wouldn't have played at your wedding. And if I hadn't fallen in love with Robin at first sight, she wouldn't have become a part of our group, so you could get to know her, fall in love with her and marry her later."

"Your poor kids!", Barney said. "How can you even remember all this stuff? That was party twenty years ago."  
"So you don't remember anything from back then?", Ted asked rhetorically. 

_"Wuhswuhswuhswuh... a date tonight", Robin said and grinned provokingly at Barney._  
 _Barney stared at her, speechless for a moment. He couldn't believe it._  
 _She just taunted him in front of his friends._  
 _Quick like a shot, a funny and smart answer to his rhetorical question._  
 _She was somrthing else. Different from every other girl he had ever met._  
 _Funny, gorgeous, witty and intelligent._  
 _Way out of Ted's league._  
 _She was dangerous. Because of her otherness._  
 _Barney had never felt such a strong attraction to a woman. He knew, he had to be careful around her._

 _"I'm not sure, I like her."_

"I still don't understand, what you want to talk to me about now", Barney said.  
Ted took a deep breath.  
"The reason, I told them this story is that I would like to ask Robin out."

Barney felt his heart skip a beat, when his brain registered the meaning of Ted's word.  
Ted wanted to date Robin. Would she want that?

He's been a little down these last few days, after the incident on Ellie's birthday.  
Wouldn't things get worse, if she started dating someone? Not just anyone, but his best friend?  
Of course, Barney wanted Ted to be happy and he should be excited, he was ready to date again. But Robin?

After the divorce, Robin hadn't dated again. She seemed to have lost interest in relationships.  
Somehow, the thought was comforting. Barney liked to think, that - even though they didn't work out - he was special to her.  
That she didn't look for another relationship after him.

But she had been with Ted for a whole year. They'd been serious. Talked about living together.  
She had lost her "I love you"-virginity to him.  
What if she wanted to date him again.  
His best friend and his ex-wife. With whom he still was in love.  
It felt like someone ripped his heart out of his ribcage.

"Really?", he asked. "Awesome!", he said with a lot of enthusiasm in his voice.  
"Are you sure? I wanted to know, if you'd be okay with it", Ted said.  
"What?", Barney asked in a high pitch. "Why should I not be okay with it? I totally am! I'm sure, she'll say yes. Oh, I'm so happy for you. Robin is great and you are great. It's gonna be so... great! I couldn't be more okay with it!"

"Really? I could totally understand, if this was weird for you", Ted said.  
"No, no, not weird at all. That's just... great!", he said again.

"So, just to be clear", said Ted. "You have absolutely no objections to me asking your ex-wife out on a date? I just want to be sure because of the Bro Code."  
"No, absolutely not. Robin and me, that was such a long time ago. Does the Bro Code even apply after so many years?", Barney asked.  
"And besides, you two are completely over, right?", asked Ted.

Barney clenched his teeth and gulped, never losing his fake smile while doing so.  
"Absolutely over", he confirmed.  
"Alright, then I guess, I'll call her sometime", Ted said.  
"Yeah, do that. I wish you good luck, Bro!", Barney said excited.

When Ted, Luke and Penny left a short time later, Barney closed the door behind them and then slumped down on his couch with a heavy sigh.  
 _What have I done?_

In the meantime the Mosbys entered the elevator. Luke pressed the button for the main floor and the doors silently slid shut.  
"You were right", Ted said suddenly, when the elevator started to move and his children looked at him. "Barney and Robin belong together."

Penny saw how much this realization hurt her father.  
He seemed to have really thought, he could be happy with Robin, since he once loved her and she had always been his second love after their mother.  
"I'm sorry, Dad", she said and hugged him.

No, it's okay", Ted answered and stroked her back. "I could have never loved her the way I loved your mother. The way Barney still loves her."


	4. Chapter 4

Only a few hours later, Ted found himself standing in front of Robin's apartment building.  
His kids had been a little bit worried to let him go. Especially alone.  
They feared, he would forget his plan and try to win her back as soon as he saw her.

He took a few deep breath, reminded himself that he was doing this for Barney and rang the doorbell.  
The building looked a lot like the one Robin lived in when he first met her.  
Ted remembered the night, he stood in front of her door with the blue french horn.

That was 25 years ago. It was really time to let go of the hopes from back then.

"Ted?", sounded a voice from a window on the second floor and Ted looked up.  
Robin had her head stuck out of the window and smiled at him.

"Hey", Ted shouted up and lifted his hand in greeting.  
"Hey", Robin answered, surprised. She didn't expect to see him here.  
"Eehm, will you let me in?", he asked.  
"Oh, yeah. Sure", Robin answered and disappeared from the window.

The door opener sounded and Ted entered. He climbed the stairs and walked to Robin's apartment door. She was already waiting for him.  
"Ted", she said. "Not that I'm not happy to see you... But allow me to ask, what are you doing in the city?"  
Ted wasn't in Manhattan often anymore. Because of the kids, they all met up at Marshall and Lily's most of the time.

"I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"  
Robin stepped aside to let him walk in and he took a seat on her couch.  
"Can I get you something?", Robin asked. "Water, coffee, beer?"  
"No, thanks. Please, just sit down and listen to me."  
Robin sat down next to him and loooked at him expectantly.

"Yesterday, I told Luke and Penny the story of how I met Tracy", he said.  
"You mean, how you met her at the train station and thought, she stole your umbrella?", asked Robin.  
"No, the whole story. How I got the umbrella and brought it back to her, why we both were even on that train station."  
"For my and Barney's wedding", Robin said easily.

Ted studied her face, hoping to catch a reaction to her own words. Maybe a hint of sadness over the thought of their divorce. But he found nothing.  
She has always been good at masking her feelings.

"How you and Barney even met", Ted said now.  
"Oh, Teddy-Boy", Robin sighed. "How long exactly was the story?"  
"Well, I started with the night we met you and I went through the following 8 years in 4 hours."

"Eight years, Ted? That is torture", she said.  
"I just thought that it was all important", Ted tried to justify his actions. Robin shook her head in amusement.  
"Anyways", Ted started again. "So I told them everything that happened. Also everything that happend with Marshall and Lily and you and Barney. And when I was finished, they said..."  
" "Boring"? ", Robin asked grinning.  
"... that I was in love with you", Ted lied, without listening to her.

The smile fell from Robin's face.  
 _Oh, god, no! Please, not this again!_  
"I've thought about it and I think... maybe, they're right", Ted said.

Robin started to panic and tried to stay calm on the outside.  
"Ted...", she started, but Ted interrrupted her.

"I know, you said you don't love me, Robin. But that was nineteen years ago. Maybe time can change this things after all. We are not the same people from then. We've grown, become older and wiser. I found Tracy and thought, she was the one. But Tracy won the lottery for the second time when she met me and I believe that can happen to me, too. I never stopped having feelings for you, Robin and you've changed, too. I know that you're ready for a serious and long-term relationship and we could have that."

"Ted, we're not in our 20s anymore", Robin said. "What we do affects others. You have to think about your kids."  
"Penny and Luke love you."  
"I was married. What about Barney?", Robin asked. Ted could hear a slight trembling in her voice now and didn't know if it was from saying Barney's name or from her panic about this situation.

"What about him? You guys have been divorced for a long time", Ted said decidedly clueless.  
"But we're still friends", Robin said. "He's my ex and you're friends with him, too. I have to at least talk to him, before making a decision."

 _That's the solution!_ , Robin thought to herself.  
Barney wouldn't want her to date Ted. And she didn't want it either. She just had to ask him to tell Ted, he didn't want it, then she'd be off the hook. She only hoped, he would do her this favor, after the way she rejected him. She felt really bad about the situation, but she just couldn't go down that road again. It was tempting, but it would be a mistake.  
 _We tried it, not once but twice. It makes no sense to try again._

"I already talked to him", Ted answered grinning.  
"What?"  
"Yeah, I went there earlier and he gave his blessing", Ted explained while beaming at her.

Robin's stomach turned to knots.  
"Really? And he was... okay with it?", she asked.  
"Completely", Ted said. "He even seemed happy about it."

Robin felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach.  
 _How could I believe he really meant it? How could I feel bad? Barney doesn't love me anymore. He's totally over it, so why shouldn't I move on?_

"So... would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow?", Ted asked.  
"Yes", Robin answered. "I'd love to, Ted."  
"Great", Ted exclaimed happily. " Should I come get you here at 7?"  
"Yeah", Robin said, while bringing him to her door. "Sounds good."  
"Fantastic. See you tomorrow, Robin", Ted said and exited her apartment.  
"See ya", Robin said and closed the door behind him.

She then leaned against the door and wondered what just happened. Everything happened so fast. She really agreed to a date with Ted.  
But I don't feel that way about him. Haven't in a long time! Why the hell did I do this?, she asked herself.  
But she knew the answer.  
She did it because it hurt that Barney was okay with it. Only a few days ago, Barney told her he loved her. And now, he gave Ted his blessing to ask her out?  
She believed him. She screamed at him and fled from the house, but she did believe him.  
 _How could I be so stupid?_

Ted was right. She was ready for a serious relationship.  
She was almost fifty years old now and didn't want to spend the rest of her life alone. She was lonely. And maybe Ted was the right guy to do this with. He was a good guy, maybe the sweetest she ever met.  
He would fulfil her every wish and never hurt her. Actually, she didn't like people fulfilling her wishes. She rather worked on making them come true herself. And technically, he wouldn't be able to truly hurt her, because he just didn't have that power over her heart. Unlike other people...

But it was better than the alternative. Becoming that creepy old lady with 20 dogs to keep her company, mourning her failed marriage.  
Robin got a headache and started massaging her temples.  
 _It's been a long day._  
With that thought, she made her way to the bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Friday

The next evening, the world wasn't any brighter to Robin.  
Restless and nervous she was walking through her apartment.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't go out with Ted. It wouldn't be fair to him.  
Yes, maybe he could fall in love and be happy again after Tracy. But not with her.  
He was just fooling himself. Things between them were over. Had been for a long time.

Robin had been changing her mind about this date back and forth. At least twenty times during the last two hours. But right now she was sure to have finally made the right decision.  
She changed from her dress back into simple jeans and a blue shirt and waited for Ted to tell him that she couldn't go out with him.

When there was a knock at her apartment door, Robin suddenly panicked.  
She stepped up to the door and reminded herself of the best advice anyone's ever given her.

 _Sometimes even three deep breaths can change everything._

Robin closed her eyes and took three deep breaths.  
Then she opened the door with renewed enthusiasm and determination. Only to throw it shut a second later.

She starred at the floor and let out a breath, she'd been holding.  
 _This can't be happening._  
She pinched herself in her arm, and winced in pain. Then she slowly opened the door once again and he was still standing there.

"Barney, what are you doing here?", she asked confused.  
"Ted sends me", her ex-husband answered casually and strolled past her into the apartment.  
Robin was too dumbfounded to protest.  
She closed the door, turned to him and just asked: "Why?"

o  
o  
o  
Earlier that day:

Barney didn't have to go to work today and after bringing Ellie to the school bus, he was now sitting on his couch and read the newspaper, when there was a knock on his door.  
Barney closed his newspaper, put it down on his coffee table and went to answer the door.  
It was Ted.

"Hey", he said and came in.  
Barney felt like kicking him out, feeling a terrible rage inside him, when he saw Ted.  
But he didn't, because he knew that he himself was to blame for this situation. He could have just told Ted, that he didn't want him to go out with Robin, because he too still had feelings for her.  
 _Maybe, it's not too late to do it._

"Hey, Ted. What's up?", he asked casually, hoping to correct his mistake from the day before.  
"So I went to Robin's yesterday", Ted told him.

Barney could practically hear his hopes crashing.  
 _Someone's desperate,_ he thought scornfully.  
"Really? Awesome!", he said. "How'd it go?"

"I asked if she wanted to have dinner with me tonight and she agreed", Ted said and Barney thought he could actually feel his heart breaking.  
"That's just fantastic!", he called overly excited.

"I won't go", Ted suddenly said.  
"What? Why?", Barney wondered.  
"Because I don't want to go out with Robin. And neither does she."  
"I don't understand", Barney said confused.  
"I won't see Robin tonight. You will."

"What? Ted, that's just crazy", Barney said and turned away from him to not have to look him in the eyes.  
"The ointment in the bathroom was almost empty", Ted said, which stopped Barney in his steps, his back to him.  
"I sent Penny up with a new tube. She saw everything."  
Barney didn't speak and didn't move for a few seconds. Then he sighed, let his head fall forwards and his shoulders sagged.

Finally he turned to Ted to answer.  
"If she saw everything, you'd know I got shot down."  
"I know", Ted answered. "But I also know, that Robin feels the same."  
"No, she doesn't!", Barney answered angrily. "You're wrong, Ted."

"When I asked her out, she said she wanted to talk with you about it first. And when I told her that I'd already gotten your blessing, I could see how much that hurt her."  
Once again, Barney was silent for a few seconds, before he looked back at Ted.  
"Are you sure?", he asked with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.  
"She looked like a kicked puppy", Ted clarified.

Barney smiled for a second, but then he sighed and swiped a hand over his face.  
"No, Ted. It just... It's too late. We've been divorced for 14 years. I have a daughter from another woman. Even if she does have feelings for me, she obviously doesn't want to."  
"But you have to try, Barney! You're always gonna regret it if you don't", Ted said urgently.  
"It's over, Ted. I lost her!", Barney shouted in exasperation.

Ted looked him in the eyes and replied calmly.  
"No, Barney. I lost my wife. You still have a chance."  
Barney felt guilty, as he realized, that Ted was right. Tracy was dead. Ted couldn't get her back, no matter what he did.  
"Ted...", he started, but was interrupted.  
"Promise me that you'll try!"  
Barney sighed and finally answered: "Okay. I promise."

And as he made that decision, it felt as if a terrible weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Barney realized that it was the right thing to do. Because if she rejected him again, at least he'd know that he did everything he could.

"Good", Ted said smiling and turned and went for the door.  
But before he left, he turned around once more.  
"Barney?", he called and the blonde turned to him.

Ted grinned at gave the same advice he gave Robin, almost 18 years ago.  
"Go get her."

o  
o  
o  
Now:

Barney ended the story and they two of them remained silent.  
Robin couldn't look him in the eyes. He expected an answer from her and she didn't know what to tell him.  
Finally she cleared her throat and looked up to him.

"That's it?", she asked and he looked confused.  
"This time no week-long preparations with fancy lies and manipulations, all of which is supposed to make me fall into your arms?", she asked, reminding him of his proposal, the last time he wanted to win her back.

Barney just shook his head, before he answered.  
"I vowed to always tell you the truth. So I'm just gonna do that."  
He came a step closer and Robin looked at him expectantly.

"I love you, Robin", Barney said tenderly and she had to avert her eyes. "That hasn't changed in the last 14 years, and I want to be with you."  
"Barney", Robin said and looked up. "It's not that easy, anymore. I mean... you have a daughter to think about."

"Ellie adores you", Barney told her gently. "And I know you love her."  
"I just can't do this anymore", Robin said, sounding desperate. "I'm 50 years old and I'm sick of this back and forth between us."  
"Me too, I don't want back and forth", Barney said. "I want the same things, I wanted 18 years ago. I just want you. I want to wake up every morning and go to sleep every night, with you next to me. For the rest of my life."

By now, Robin had tears in her eyes and she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  
"I can't give you an answer, right now. I need time", she said.  
"It's okay", Barney said. "I can wait."

"I'm not talking hours. Not even days", Robin said. "This- this decision could take me weeks, maybe even months."  
"I would wait for years", Barney told her.  
"Why?", Robin asked him.

She couldn't understand, why he was willing to do this to himself.

"Because, I love you", Barney said. "I have loved you for more than 20 years and I'm sure, I'll do it for the rest of my life. So, I'd wait for you until I take my last breath."

Then he walked to the door and left her apartment without another word.  
Robin was left standing in the middle of her living room, starring at the closed door. She sunk down onto the couch, burrowed her face into her hands and cried.


End file.
